It’s raining ropes as they say here. Lashing I would call it. Which is no big deal to this Irishman but the poor Italians are in a fit of depression. Their rainiest summer in nearly 100 years. Tuscany in this unfamiliar, thundery dampness is quite magical. Powerful really. The warm rain is so soft and the thunder mighty and crashing. The storm clouds glow against the grey sky, creating this electric hue.

Driving through one of these storms the other day, I came across these haystacks. They look like some South American tombs of sorts. I like their imposing geometry. All that tuscan sun seems stored in their orange and they are now defiantly throwing it back against the grey sky. I think it would be great to see an aluminium casting of one of these haystacks in a busy, grey cityscape.